Current integrated operations for replacement gate processes in tri-gate transistor fabrication may include several steps that are complicated and make it difficult to achieve desired structures. For example, in current processes, a dielectric gate spacer material may be deposited over a sacrificial (e.g., dummy) gate as well as the fin in the source and drain contact regions of the fin. The deposition may be non-selective such that the dielectric gate spacer material is formed over desired regions (e.g., the sacrificial gate) and undesired regions (e.g., the source and drain contact regions of the fin). Subsequently, the gate spacers may be formed using a multi-step (e.g., an approximately 10-step) process to form the desired gate spacers such that the sacrificial gate may be removed and replaced and subsequent device fabrication may continue.
Such multi-step processes may be difficult, costly, and may cause damage to the fin (e.g., damage to the channel region of the fin and/or to the source/drain region of the fin) and increased defect levels and the like.
As such, there is a need to achieve simpler, less costly, and higher quality processes for forming tri-gate transistor devices. Such efforts may become critical as the demand for such devices continues to grow.